Praise The Husband

Chapter 8

Sundari slams the door and curls up into a ball, trying to process the shocking news about the King knowing her secret. Simba, who had been flying around, quickly notices her and lands beside her, concerned.

"What happened Sundari? Why are you shaking like a leaf?" asks Simba.

Sundari looks up at him with terror in her eyes. "Simba, Rudransh knows our secret! He knows I'm not a man!"

Simba's expression changes to one of shock. "What? How did he find out?"

Sundari wipes her tears as she tells Simba what had happened. "I was bathing in the bath house, and he saw me. I tried to hide my chest, but he noticed and figured out I was a woman."

Simba is amused by her plight and teases her. "Well, you should've been more careful, Sundari."

Sundari erupts in anger. "It's not my fault that you walked in on me bathing, Simba!"

Simba steps back, surprised by her sudden outburst. "Hey, don't get mad at me. If anything, we should be working together to figure out a way to get you out of here."

Sundari calms down and realizes that she left her bracelet in the bathhouse, and that was what had led to the King's suspicion. "Simba, I left my bracelet in the bathhouse."

Simba frowns. "Well, we can't go back there now. It's too risky. We'll have to come up with another plan."

Sundari starts to panic. "What other plan? The King has put a spell on me, and I can't leave until I fix his garden. And now, there's a magic dome that prevents anyone from going in and out. We're stuck!"

Simba tries to reassure her. "Don't worry. We'll think of something. We just have to be patient and come up with a plan."

Sundari nods, feeling better. She changes into a traditional Indian sari to help calm her mind.

As she sits with Simba, she starts to fidget with her bracelet. She wonders why she had ever thought of deceiving the King in the first place. It had all started with her desire to join the army, a traditionally male domain.

Simba notices her distress and tries to reassure her. "Sundari, you had your reasons for doing what you did. That doesn't make you a bad person."

Sundari looks up at him with tears in her eyes. "Simba, I just don't want you to die. I don't want to leave everyone behind."

Simba holds her close, trying his best to comfort her. "Hey, we'll get through this together. Don't worry."

As Sundari looks up at Simba, she is grateful for his friendship and support. She knows that no matter what happens, Simba will always be there for her. Sundari just nods and changes her clothes into a sari.

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A cold wind blow through the candle lit room. Rudransh sat in his candle lit office, the cold wind blowing through the room. He had been trying to focus his attention on the papers in front of him, but his thoughts kept wandering off. He closed his eyes and recalled the first moment he and Sundari had met--the sword fight. He could still feel the warmth of her touch.

Rudransh opened his eyes and smiled to himself, thinking about that moment. He remembered how, when he had been about to strike her with the sword, she had looked up and made eye contact with him. He had felt something stir inside him that he had never felt before. He could still feel the warmth of her touch when they had locked swords. He had known then that she was not a man and he had felt a strange connection with her.